TAMPA, Fla. — While brick and mortar schools in the Tampa Bay area still plan to open in a few weeks, parents should be ready to go back to e-learning just in case.
Those parents who decided on virtual school need to know how to set their kids up for success.
Being forced into virtual learning was a shock to the system for many teachers, students and parents, but now many have a choice and have had time to prepare for online learning. Pamela Roggeman is the Dean of Education at the University of Phoenix. She has three big tips for parents.
First: Plan for coverage, especially if you are going back to work.
"Make sure that you have a plan to not only give your kid coverage but to make sure you have a plan to be that guide on the side for your child."
Meaning, you are ready to help them or get them the help they need.
Second: Kids need a space and a place to work.
"We all know that our kids' bedrooms are rarely where they do their homework. They do their homework at the kitchen counter, or they do their homework at the kitchen table. Now, a lot of learning happens in the kitchen, but is that sustainable."
Find a neutral space to set up a desk or table and make sure kids have the technology and tools they need.
Third: Manage your expectations.
Not all kids thrive in the virtual environment, so it will take a little extra work on the part of the parent to keep them on track. "We parents need to make sure that we are committed to holding ourselves accountable, to making sure that we partner with our kids, we stay up to date on what they're supposed to be doing, we communicate with the teacher for any kind of needs that we have."
As parents make these difficult decisions about virtual or in school learning, Roggeman says she hopes that when we finally get on the other side of this pandemic that we see what it did for public education and not what it did to it.
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